WATCH: Planned illegal firework destruction effort in Los Angeles ends in massive blast, 16 injured

(KTSA News) — A Los Angeles bomb truck exploded during a planned detonation of seized illegal fireworks by police Wednesday afternoon.

KCAL-TV reports Los Angeles police said they were in the process of seizing over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks in one area of the city and they were being stored in a bomb squad trailer as a precaution.

However, the TV station reports reporters on the scene were told by the police to move away from the bomb destruction truck and officers yelled, “Fire in the hole,” before the explosion.

The blast injured 16 people, three of those injuries are considered to be critical.  Among the injured were nine Los Angeles police officers and an ATF agent — all with minor injuries.

TV crews were filming the entire event.  Helicopter video shows a large blast that destroyed the truck and pushed over nearby cars.  The helicopter reporter for KCAL-TV said they felt the blast from above.